Fragile-Handle with Care

But it's just not the special features of wireless communications that potentially degrade the emergency system. The sheer volume of 911 calls generated by a visible incident can easily overwhelm even large facilities. The reason here is that there are choke points throughout the entire process that can get clogged by the sudden localized demand for service. In some smaller communities or exchanges, this can occur at the telephone company central office itself. There are also a finite number of dedicated 911 trunks that deliver calls to the center. When the number of calls exceeds the number of these lines, they are typically rolled over to seven-digit numbers or diverted to another agency.

Of course, in the first case, the data associated with these calls is lost because they are now received just like a conventional phone call. In the second, they are received at another 911 center and the information must be obtained and somehow relayed back to the proper jurisdiction. Regardless of this, the final — and most critical — weakness that enables caller overload is simply the lack of staffing in many facilities. With turnover rates around 20%, and minimal manpower to begin with, the thing that's broken most may not be a thing at all. One major city was about 25% below their authorized staffing when they began furloughing employees as part of a citywide mandate. The shortage of trained people looms large in problems that desperately need to get fixed.

Another potential weakness can be found in what's known as Customer Premise Equipment (CPE). As the industry as a whole migrates toward VoIP inside the dispatch center, many managers wonder whether this technology is truly ready for prime time. (In fact, I talked to the head of one agency that had its system for almost a year and still hadn't paid for it due to recurring performance problems.)

Digital 911 systems experience more than their share of reliability complaints, as well as issues such as low volume and echo. Their technical sophistication, while providing a full set of features, is relatively complex to install and maintain; even something as simple as improperly addressing a key component can cause a crash. Why? Because these internal components are actually computers rather than telephones and, as such, come with a whole new set of rules. While digital telephones are doubtless part of both our present and our future, they bring to the table issues similar to those of digital radios; a subject with which the fire service has become well acquainted. Complaints about audio clarity, echo and the handling of background noise arise here as well, and early on in their life cycle the Association of Public-safety Communications Officials (APCO) International expressed concern over the ability of telecommunicators to adequately recognize sounds such as gunshots while processing digital calls.

The efficiency of technology can also inadvertently contribute to new challenges. Increasingly, telephone circuits are bundled into single fiber-optic cables capable of carrying millions of conversations. Although redundancy is routinely provided, the dozens of copper wires that these bundles replace, while not as efficient, helped to maintain an additional degree of diversity. Last year, what has been termed an intentional act severed fiber-optics supporting telephone service to tens of thousands of Californians, resulting in a significant 911 outage. Excavation and construction projects have also caused similar service losses elsewhere in the past.

Despite all of these issues, 911 service still remains relatively reliable. However, if significant attention is not given to correcting these issues, it's only a matter of time until that may come into question. The unofficial target of answering 90% of calls within 10 seconds or less remains unattainable in many centers, and the sophistication of consumer electronic devices far outpaces our ability to cope. Clearly, changes must be made. In addition to making the required upgrades and improvements, we must also realistically examine both our and the public's perception of the degree of reliability that is humanly possible.

We all know that not every room-and-contents fire remains a single room and contents, just as we realize that immediate bystander CPR and the access to an AED increase — but do not guarantee — the chances of surviving cardiac arrest. Officials in Pennsylvania called a loss of 911 service there in 2006 "a fluke." Sometimes, despite our best-made plans, the inconceivable happens. When it does, we must do our best to deal with it. But, before it does, we also must do everything in our power to properly protect and staff our sometimes fragile 911 system.